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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 18:42:04 GMT -5
Admittedly, I "bathe" my ferrets every 10 days or so atm, and I KNOW it is not good and I am trying to put us all through bath time rehab to set things right! But before you judge and I ask for your opinions, please read! : I received my ferrets about 2ish months ago and they were in very poor conditions. The bedding and hammocks that came with them were covered in brown gunk (never washed or changed) they REEKED horribly and everything was just...nasty. My boyfriend nearly killed me when he SMELLED what I was getting us in to! So, I threw almost everything out and immediately bathed them with ferret shampoo. They were so bad I had to give them 2 additional baths throughout that week. They were fed cat food before that Im sure was contributing to their horrible smell, but now they are on raw soups for now, get linen changes once a week, litter scoops, weekly cage wipe downs, the works and smell a LOT better. BUT they still smell like pee VERY badly after a few days. I KNOW they are going to have a scent, i know this and am fine with it, i knew what I was getting into, but it is still very bad. I feel like they are reversing their oil secretion or something, as in, they were in such poor conditions before that they're bodies are pumping out so much oil and stink, thats just the way it will be for them forever. Right now I am weening us off of our baths which is fill the tub with 4ish inches of water, throw in half a packet of colloidal oatmeal powder, and a little squirt of ferret oatmeal conditioner that is mixed with some olive and coconut oil (5:1:1). No shampoo or soap, they get a little swishy around in it for 10 minutes and then dry themselves off. I was doing once a week, and now once every week and a half, hopefully then to once a month and then NEVER!!! Just seems like its taking forever for them to "even out" They're coats and nice and soft and shiny though! They actually seem to really enjoy their baths now, very relaxing and I obviously wouldn't mind doing it still once per month if need be. If I kept the same regimen of conditioner, oils and oatmeal do you think once a month would be okay for them? I'd like to hear some thoughts on this, if anyones ever had to deal with it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 18:42:52 GMT -5
ONE MORE THING:
I have tried using some ferret deodorizer sprays, but it seems to make them very itchy and irritates their skin, so I don't like to use it!
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Post by raynebc on Oct 29, 2015 18:58:53 GMT -5
Changing their bedding more often may help quite a bit. During a diet change their waste will also smell worse, so cleaning/changing litter as often as you're willing (at least once or twice per day) makes a difference too.
It may be worth making them a dig box with long grain (not instant) rice. I've read on this forum that people say contact with the rice helps absorb excess oil.
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Post by Klarissa on Oct 29, 2015 19:20:12 GMT -5
When I read that you were bathing them so much, I was anxious, then saw what the bath was and feel much better - nothing in the bath is stripping from them. However, it could be the opposite that they are covered in too many oils. If you think about how our hair would get if we never shampoo'd and added lots of conditioning products - and we don't even produce smelly oils. --> That's my 2 cents. I'm probably wrong Bathe them less. I bathe with a natural shampoo meant for newborn babies, as I don't think it gets any gentler then that. It also has less scent & irritating funky irritating ingredients. I bathe mine every 3 months, but I routinely let them run around the shower while I shower - just water is fine. I think there is some people on the forum who rarely shampoo, bath only using warm water (and some time to soak if really dirty). As previously mentioned washing the beds as much as possible & changing litter as much as possible. When they first start raw also makes them stinkier as their bodies push out all the crap they had been eating. My 2 of my three wreaked when I started them, one still does Thank you for bringing these fuzzies, and all of their stink into your home.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 19:27:22 GMT -5
Oh yes! They have dig boxes, forgot to mention! Although I am in a process to get them more interested in the rice one.
I said i changed the linens once a week, but its actually whenever they get a bath, which is now 1 -1/2 weeks. Should I do every other day instead? That seems like a lot of laundry! Maybe the type of fabric could help? Right now I have 2 fleece minis and several of these (Im guessing) airline blankets that Im unsure of what fabric, but i guess like a normal womens cardigan sweater material, whatever that is!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 19:30:16 GMT -5
And Klarrisa, thats a good point! They are probably still getting a lot of junk out of their system. That makes me feel better! I guess I will know within a few months!
I also knew some people would freak out about my post at first and thats why I warned to read the whole thing!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2015 9:52:22 GMT -5
When I've rescued ferrets who smelled horrible this is what I used: 1 quart peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon of dawn dish soap. Mix it together, poor on ferret (don't get on eyes), and massage it into the fur and skin. Rinse and always shampoo with regular shampoo after. It kills the smell instantly.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2015 9:53:09 GMT -5
Meant to say pour, not poor. Lol
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Post by Heather on Oct 30, 2015 11:20:47 GMT -5
Please don't use Dawn dish soap on your ferrets. That stuff is horrible. Yes they use it to clean animals but what they're cleaning is toxic sludge, no ferret is ever in that state when you rescue (and yes, I've rescued some really disgusting ferrets...when you can't tell what's under the grunge and you have to take it on the word of the creature that calls itself owner....that's really bad . Bathing your ferret will make them smell worse. That's really simple. Going through detox makes them smell disgusting (depending on age, state of ferret in rescue, and general health) this can take up to 6 months. I find it usually takes at least 3 months. Getting them on a natural diet, will go a long way in helping them smell more natural. Ferrets who've been left to live in their own excrement take longer to loose their stench as it seems to be in their pores (first shed seems to be the time frame). You're doing everything right except the bathing. You will prolong the stench by bathing. Yes, they do smell horrid, I know this, I do rescue. I drove for 2 hrs with my windows down in the winter because of the state of Nefarious and Beowulf and they had been bathed. Clean bedding every 3 or 4 days. A good balanced raw diet. These are things that will help get rid of the stench. Think about what stink comes out of a bag of fresh, cheap kibble and that's what your ferrets smell like, then add ferret excrement and you've got the smell you're dealing with. It's difficult, I know but that's how it is. Rice and soil dig boxes help a lot. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2015 14:23:26 GMT -5
Thanks for the insight Heather! They must be in the midst of detox then, thankfully my one is shedding from the season change now, hopefully that pushes some stuff out! Sooooo very much looking forward to getting them to accept a full raw diet. I know that will help loads! I was just a little beside myself waiting for their smells to even out. I've smelled other ferrets and they were fine, even had one when I was very little and they were musky, but these guys...just straight hot urine smell that sticks to everything they touch! Definitely not a (what I would consider) normal healthy ferret stench! They were on cat food for 4 & 7 years, like a break-up I'll chalk it up to one month for each year together before they're over it!
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Post by Heather on Oct 30, 2015 15:14:47 GMT -5
I only have one question for you which might make a difference...these are farm ferrets or altered ferrets right? Intact ferrets are a whole different end of smell ciao
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2015 17:21:59 GMT -5
Im not sure the difference, Im assuming altered means spayed/neutered? They are Marshall ferrets and have both their tattoos, so they have been fixed and "descented" as far as I understand!
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Post by crazylady on Oct 31, 2015 14:49:00 GMT -5
Hi Heather has given you some good advice I have taken in ferrets in the past I remember one albino hob ( will never forget star ) he came to me from a vet he was bright orange ! under all that rubbish was a cute whole albino hob ! who unfortunately must not of wanted to work for his previous owners as they had tried to cave his skull in with a spade ! he was fixed up by a local vet who contacted me I use shredded paper ( kitchen roll type ) as bedding in nest boxes I changed him straight to a raw diet and every other day I had to do a bedding change as the white bedding changed to yellow and the stench was unbelievable after four months he was the smartest and most loving albino around and he also did the job for me nature intended ! ( he also got a few extra perks too lol as the vet vasectomised him for me so he had his cake and ate it too lol) it may seem as if he is never going to stop smelling but he will I promise you take care bye for now Bev
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2015 16:24:23 GMT -5
I've always used a small amount of dish soap in extreme cases and it never did any harm. Solved the problem with no issues.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 1, 2015 12:36:06 GMT -5
Please do NOT use dish soap. It is exceedingly harsh and simply strips the oils from them.
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